1. Field
This invention relates to movable bridge systems for transferring passengers and cargo between a building or structure and a movable vehicle and, more particularly, to a movable bridge or gangway system for transferring passengers and cargo between a ship and a pier facility.
2. State of the Art
Passenger boarding or loading bridges or platforms are known to connect to a terminal structure and extend outwardly for connection to a vehicle. Such devices or structures maybe found at airports servicing large jet airplanes. Commercial units can be purchased from the Jetway Systems group of FMC Corporation located in Odgen, Utah. The bridge connects to the terminal and extends away toward the airplane. The bridge typically has a mechanism near its end that allows the outward end to be extended telescopically and to be moved radially as well as vertically to service or connect to airplanes having doors at differing heights and locations as well as to adjust to the location of an airplane that may not be parked where desired to facilitate connection with the bridge.
Bridges for transferring passengers are known to have telescoping sections as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,204 (Schoenberger et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,757 (Mitchell et al.). Wheel arrangements are associated with the outward end to allow an operator to reposition the outward end, causing the telescoping sections to move relative to each other as needed. Radial movement of the outward end of a passenger bridge is also shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,376 (Saunders) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,049 (Saunders et al.).
Passenger transfer for vehicles that include ships involves structure to interconnect between the vehicle and a stationary transfer location. For example, ships move up and down relative to a pier with the tides and as the ship or vessel is loaded. Ships may change position along the pier not only with the tide but also based on wind and wave action and as a result of wakes from other vessels passing nearby. Also ships and vessels may vary in size and configuration so that the transfer point for passengers is widely disparate.
Cruise ships as a class involve the transfer of large numbers of passengers. Cruise ships may also have different transfer points or areas for passengers. The transfer points may be at different heights and at different locations along the length of the ship. Traditional brow or gangway systems have been found to be insufficient or inadequate because they may have stairs such as those seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,803 (Sugita).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,003 (Streeter et al.) discloses a system having a single bridge or platform for transferring passengers between a terminal building with multiple levels and a ship. The bridge or platform is moved from one level of the terminal to another to control the angle of the walkway or tunnel for the transfer of passengers between the terminal and a ship. Thus, the Streeter et al. arrangement requires a terminal to have multiple levels which could require duplication of facilities in the terminal. Further, the terminal must be relatively close to the edge of the pier and, in turn, the ship because the length of an unsupported walkway or tunnel is limited.